Yi Yi

I was blown away by the fact that someone even thought of making a movie like this. I’m talking about Yi Yi. It’s just pure cinema. The film slowly follows the lives of three members of a family, and the story feels so realistic that it seems like they live in our own neighborhood. I especially loved the daughter’s and the son’s arcs. Their perceptions of life and the world are completely different. The daughter keeps wondering why she is suffering and why nothing works out the way we want it to. Her guilt stays with her throughout the entire film and feels central to the movie’s emotional core. The son’s final words to his grandmother beautifully sum up his character. He has his own small problems, his curiosity, and his innocence. He doesn’t fully understand what is happening around him. He just wants to make sure everyone is okay, and he tries to see the sides of people that even they don’t see themselves. His final speech was incredibly wholesome. Throughout the film, the camera is often placed far away from the characters, sometimes as if we are peeking through a window. It makes us feel like quiet observers of real life. The father’s arc was also refreshing. He slowly begins to understand what life truly is — that regrets exist, but second chances are meaningful. It really hit me when the son says, “You can’t see what I see, and I can’t see what you see.” That line sums up the entirety of life and human relationships. The cinematography was exquisite. The use of colors was beautiful. The opening sequence is bright red, and as we uncover more about the family, the colors soften and everything feels more natural and grounded. I loved this movie so much. I never expected it to entertain me the way it did.